The last decades of the 20th Century saw the rise
to dominance of the New Right. Historians have argued why, from economic
turmoil, the rise of the Sunbelt, white backlash, disillusionment with government
welfare programs, or simply the ideological exhaustion of liberalism. Why do
you think the New Right became such a strong force in American life? (100-150
words, by 5pm Friday May 17).
I believe the New Right became a strong force in American life for many reasons. Firstly, the New Right became involved in politics as the country experienced massive liberal reforms in the 60s and 70s. The New Right were alarmed by these sudden changes and wanted America to return to simpler times. Also, the New Right called for a return to morality as the previous decades saw a decaying of morals due to the major social changes that took place in the 70s. They criticised the liberal government and media for corrupting youths and causing the decline. They were displeased with the welfare programmes in place and wanted their abolishment. The New Right were unhappy about many changes that took place in America, and made sure their voices were heard.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned there are numerous factors which may have contributed to the rise of the New Right and conservatism in America at the end of the 20th Century. I believe that it became a strong force in American lives as the political and social climate at the time was a pressure cooker of converging ideologies.
ReplyDeletePrior to this point there has been a constant push of liberalist movements for initiatives such as legalized abortion, women’s rights and gay rights. There had been little public acknowledgement of those that disagreed lacked leadership. Following the emergence of affirmative action and the moral majority; Ronald Reagan provided the New Right with a leader to attach themselves to. This initiated a push for right wing citizens to register to vote, meaning that the numbers began to grow and the New Right became a tangible force. For a variety of reasons Reagan appealed to voters that possessed conservative values and centralized their beliefs, allowing for Republican success.
The New Right's rise to dominance, in my opinion, was a reactionary movement against the liberalism of the previous decades. During the 1960’s and 1970’s considerable social upheaval took place, with the civil rights movement, women’s liberation movement and sexual revolution; liberal changes to society which frightened conservatives.
ReplyDeleteWelfare too, remained an important issue, along with the addition of affirmative action- aiming to benefit minorities in education or employment. There was considerable backlash against affirmative action, with some considering it racist or unconstitutional.
In response to these drastic changes, the New Right, often associated with the religious right and the Moral Majority, managed to align themselves with Ronald Reagan, a republican who was elected president in 1980, and advocate for policies that reflected their conservative values.
The resurgence of the Right during the latter part of the twentieth century appears to be a reactionary backlash to the long and sustained progressive movement stemming back from the 1920s. This conservatism was also bolstered by the support of politicians such as Nixon and Reagan who appealed heavily for the support of conservatives such as Falwell and the Moral Majority. Following a period of liberal reforms aimed at addressing the issues of minority groups such as the civil rights and feminist movements and the extensive efforts of Johnson’s Great Society, the appeal to the “Silent Majority” was convincing to many Americans. Convinced that their needs were being subordinated to the “vocal minority”, conservatives were concerned that this would erode America’s morality and the American way of life. Significantly, their views were validated by politicians such as Reagan who acknowledged the political advantage of mobilising the conservative vote. This has ensured that conservatives still remain a significant influence over American politics today.
ReplyDeleteA number of interest groups converged during the latter half of the 20th Century to create the New Right. Firstly, the New Right was a reactionary movement to the significant liberal reforms of the 60s and 70s, including the introduction of Affirmative Action and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. Their emergence was also a response to post-war social dislocation and perceptions of excessive taxation and government spending.
ReplyDeleteIt is important, however, to remember that these grievances themselves did not create a unified New Right movement. Rather, it was the growing politicisation of the evangelical right under Jerry Falwell and the strength of the evangelical vote in the 1980 and 1984 Presidential elections that created a voting bloc from these disparate groups and unleashed a force in American politics that today still wields considerable power.
There are several factors that influenced the rise to dominance of the New Right in the American life. The New Right can be argued to have been largely a reactionary movement, as it emerged following the massive liberal reforms of the 60s and 70s including the civil rights movement, the women's liberation movement and the sexual revolution. Largely influenced by religious views, the New Right perceived these 'social progressions' as a form of moral decay and instead pushed for a return to simpler times.
ReplyDeleteThe conservative values of the New Right were personified in Ronald Reagan, a republican who was subsequently elected president in 1980.
Certain aspects of the rise of the New Right can be viewed as a backlash to the radicalism of the many social and political changes of the 1960s. After the end of Lyndon Johnson's time in office, the American people began to elect more conservative Presidents in Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. The so-called 'Silent Majority' felt that their rights and privileges were being encroached on by policies such as Affirmative Action. Religious groups such as the Evangelicals began to propagate these views of a society that is anti-abortion and pro-prayer. These groups were large and their influence can be seen by the landslide Republican victories under Nixon and Reagan. Following the extreme changes to parts of society during the 1960s these more conservative views provided a sense of security, particularly to the Southern White population. These traditionally Southern views also spread to states such as Arizona, which increased the political force of the New Right. Therefore, a reaction to radicalism, the emergence of more conservative Presidents and a population expansion can help to explain how the New Right became such a force in the United States.
ReplyDeleteAfter decades of liberalism and new ideas, the New Right gained momentum towards the end of the 20 century, as a desire to return to morality and conservatism took hold of much of American society. The radicalism throughout the 1960's and 1970's prompted the New Right to remind Americans of the morality and conservatism of the past, endangered through the new ideas of women's rights, abortion the Civil Rights Movement. Politicians, like Ronald Reagan, utilized the New Right and promoted it, understanding the political advantages it presented. Ultimately, the New Right presented an opportunity for conservationism to have a voice, in a period of radical ideas and change.
ReplyDeleteThe rise in dominance of the New Right in the last decades of the 20th Century was a result of growing disillusionment with government welfare programs that had taken place since the 1920s. Despite the long standing discontent with liberal government reform, the New Right was strengthened in the 1960s thanks to a convergence in conservative ideologies held by various interest groups. Calls for a return to “morality” was high on the group’s agenda and was personified by Ronald Reagan, who by aligning himself with these conservative views, was elected to power in 1980. Without collective disillusionment with government welfare programs, the New Right would not have had the strength, numbers and voice to rise to dominance.
ReplyDeleteIn a rapid transition in American society, the new right tackled to expanding of central government and opposite to leviathan government' intervention for social welfare. New right is based on Ronarld Ragon administration and pursue the less government. In that period, conservative political movements focused on social issues as forming civil right movement such as women's liberation movement and often related with religious rights. The New right had stired up backlash against to liberal left with the reason that liberal left were secularzing the society. New right tried to perserve the American way of life, which could be appealed to conservatives. So it became such a strong force in American life.
ReplyDeleteI think the New Right became a strong force was a backlash to the liberal values of 1960s and 1970s. The Religious Right wished to return to the conservative values of antiabortion and they supported Phyllis Schlafly’s antifeminist movement. The New Right wanted conservative values. Republican politicians were gaining votes because evangelical conservatives were white southerners who were against civil rights, this trend had started a long time ago in the 1970s at the time of Nixon. Nixon was politically astute. It was a time for a swing away from the Democrats and Nixon took advantage of this. Falwell and others joined together to form a group that became politically active. Religious lobbyists used the media and advertising to gain publicity.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right movement strengthened in America as a response to the many liberal reforms from the previous decades. The wide range of social movements such as the feminist movement and civil rights from the 1960s and 1970s had caused many Americans to become critical of the government, as they believed the youths were being corrupted by liberal ideas. The idea of morality was also raised, which conservatives argued was being lost in the younger generations. Furthermore, people wished for more basic times when society was not faced with so many issues or government control such as welfare programs. The New Right’s lack of political activity throughout the liberal movements resulted in their surge of action throughout the late 20th Century.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the New right towards the end of the 20th century may be seen as a reaction against decades of liberal dominance. The implementation of liberal policies was slow as reform was stunted during WWII. The effect of the Vietnam War and Watergate produced a loud protest movement as well as widespread resentment towards government. Reagan’s shrewd political platform appealed to financial conservatism to scale back excess government. Reagan was also able to receive support from a white backlash against affirmative action policy and from the increased politicisation of religious lobby groups. The movement also reveals itself as a constant force in American politics reiterating its defence of American values and institutions by using federal government but at the same time supporting states rights.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right became a strong force in American life because the conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists joined the mainstream of politics. The new conservative force was distinctly more populist than what had come before it. Perhaps the New Right learned from the grassroots activism that proved successful for the Left in the 1960s. Focusing on specific issues and using them to mobilise support led to success for the Right in the 1976 and 1980 elections. Foreign policy issues were important for the New Right, but they gained most support when voicing their opposition to abortion, gay rights, and the Equal rights amendment, and other ‘family issues’.
ReplyDelete